Knots to Know: Cleat hitch
A secure and reliable knot frequently used by boaters, the cleat hitch can secure a line to a cleat and be untied even under load. It’s useful for attaching your boat to a dock or a mooring ball or to tie off an anchor rode.
To tie a cleat hitch
- If possible, start with the cleat between you and what the line is pulling: your boat if you’re on the dock, or the dock if you’re on your boat.
- Wrap the line under the horn farthest from the load to take the stress off the line and make a partial turn around the base.
- Come over the top of the other horn, cross under the first horn and back over to make a figure eight.
- Finish with a locking loop flipped away from, not toward, the entering line, or standing end. To prevent a tripping hazard, form a Flemish coil with the bitter end.
To untie the cleat hitch, undo the locking loop and slide the line off the cleat.
For other useful knots, check out Knots to Know. A new knot will be added every month.
More knots to know
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